Pen Congress at Buenos Aires Urged to Protest Persecution of Jews

September 13, 1936

BUENOS AIRES (Sep. 11)

Booed by Nazis, H. Leivick of New York, representing the Yiddish Pen Club, today told the International Pen Congress in session here that decadence in literature was serving oppression and race hatred.

Mr. Leivick, famous as author of “The Golem” and other plays, demanded that the assembled writers protest against Jewish persecution throughout the world. He charged the Polish Pen Club with maintaining silence in the face of pogroms in Poland.

“Poetry is beautiful,” he said, “but human sufferings and tears of the individual and persecuted peoples is more than beautiful, it is holy.”

With the exception of the Nazis, his speech was enthusiastically received by delegates and public.